Sun-Maid Raisin Bran Muffins

Raisin Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups toasted bran flake cereal
• 1 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 21⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup water
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
• 1⁄2 cup honey
• 1⁄4 cup molasses
• 2 cups Sun-Maid Natural Raisins

Directions:

1. COMBINE whole wheat flour, bran flakes, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, mix well.
2. COMBINE buttermilk, water, eggs, oil, honey and molasses in a bowl; blend well. Add to flour mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in raisins.
3. POUR into glass or plastic container. Cover and store in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 4 weeks.
4. HEAT oven to 400°F. Grease or line muffin cups with paper baking cups. Spoon 1⁄4 cup batter into cups.
5. BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes.

Variations:

• Oat and Bran Raisin Muffins: Substitute 1 cup oats or 1 cup nugget-type cereal for
  wheat germ. Prepare as above.
  Orange Raisin Bran Muffins: Substitute 1 cup orange juice for 1 cup water. Add 2 teaspoons grated orange zest to batter.

I made the first variation, substituting rolled oats for the wheat germ.  I also halved the recipe, because this makes a lot and I'm the only one who eats them.  They were really good, though next time I plan to cut the sugar down a little or leave out the molasses, because they were a little too sweet for my taste.  At first I was a little worried because the batter is really thin when you first mix it up, but after refrigerating, it gets really thick.  It's nice to have the batter in the fridge so you can just pull it out and bake muffins when you want some, though I like these best at room temperature and not hot out of he oven.

You can get this recipe and more at Sunmaid.com.  Browse through 100 Years of Recipes and download recipe booklets from the last century.  They also have printed recipe booklets you can order.  There are some really good looking recipes.

If only the people in my house liked raisins.